This invention generally relates to telephone station apparatus, and more particularly, to control unit mounting and interconnecting apparatus for telephone desk sets.
It is common practice to utilize in conjunction with telephone desk sets various types of control units such as key switches, transfer switches, and so forth, which allow the telephone user to perform certain functions in addition to those normally provided by the telephone desk set. Examples of such additional functions are line hold functions, line transfer functions, intercom signaling functions, and bell shutoff functions. In some telephone desk sets, such as the common six-button key sets and those instruments marketed under the trademark "CALL DIRECTOR", the control unit is provided as an integral part of the desk set. However, it is desirable to have a more flexible arrangement in which the control unit can be specially adapted for the functions to be provided and utilized in conjunction with the common single line telephone desk set. In such case, the control unit is typically external to and separate from the telephone desk set. In such a case, it is necessary to provide electrical interconnections between the control unit and the telephone desk set or with a common junction box therefor. The electrical interconnections are typically provided by a cable.
Although such separate control units provide acceptable functional operation and allow flexible adaptation of single line telephone desk sets to multifunction use, the control units and cables result in an unsightly assemblage of parts on the desk and, in addition, are expensive of manufacture and costly to install due to the labor involved.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide, for telephone desk sets, a combined, integral control unit mounting and interconnecting apparatus.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a mounting and interconnecting apparatus which can be readily and inexpensively installed in a conventional single line telephone desk set.
It is another object of this invention to provide such a mounting and interconnecting apparatus which is inexpensive of manufacture.